Spray mechanism control system



A. R. GOLD ETAL SPRAY MECHANISM CONTROL SYSTEM July 27, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 2, 1962 A n M u FM z 6 q gm W ll i! Y.|IYM,.. w r 5 1 1 g & j W

July 27, 1965 GQLD ETAL 3,197,142

SPRAY MECHANISM CONTROL SYSTEM Filed Aug. 2, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 afiggva e1 5 wmey United States Patent 3,197,142 SPRAY BECHANISM CONTROL SYSTEM Allan R. Gold, Chicago, and Gilbert M. Baumann, Glen Ellyn, Ill., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Ziif- Davis lublishing Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 214,228 9 Claims. (Cl. 239-215) This invention relates to a mechanism adapted to spray liquids, such as paint and the like. The invention is particularly concerned with a trigger operated control mechanism for starting and stopping the flow of liquidfrom the mechanism at an adjustable controllable rate.

Spraying mechanisms embodying the present invention are of general utility for spraying any suitable liquid, for example, water or paint, and may have any desired form and shape. An illustrative embodiment of the present invention in the form of a spray gun is described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and with reference to its use for spraying paint.

The spray gun has a can or other, receptacle for holding the paint, and a conveyor in the form of an open ended feed tube and a screw or screw conveyor having its outer peripheral surface contiguous to the inner surface of the tube to feed the paint upwardly from the ,can to a housing as the screw is rotated. An attenuator, which in this embodiment of the invention is a smooth surfaced inverted cone, is rotatably mounted in said housing and receives the paint fed upwardly through the feed tube by the screw conveyor. The cone attenuator, the screw conveyor, the feed tube, and the valve at the inlet to the feed tube as well as numerous other features of the device are described in copending application Serial No. 209,446, filed July 12, 1962, entitled Spraying Device, now US. Patent No. 3,125,296, issued March 17, 1964. The paint is dis charged through a' narrow elongated outlet of adjustable length that is in registration with the upper edge of the attenuator over which the paint is flowed by centrifugal force.

The present invention is concerned with a system and mechanism for controlling the flow of liquid from the device. The system controls both the rate of flow of the liquid and the starting and stopping of the flow.

In accordance with the present invention a cut-01f gate is mounted in the housing adjacent to the outlet. The gate has a length at least equal to the maximum length of the outlet. In a preferred arrangement the gate is in the form of an annular band encircling the attenuator and concentric with the discharge outlet which it is adapted to cover completely. The cut-oil? gate is normally held in closed position by spring action and is connected to a resilient strap that is operatively connected to the operating control trigger. The trigger isalso connected to a valve to open and close the lower end of the feed tube.

The valve and cut-off gate are so interrelated structurally that both are in closing position at the same time. When the trigger is actuated to move the valve into open position, it permits the cut-ofi gate to open. If the spray mechanism is in upright position, the cut-off gate moves pivotally downwardly out of registration with the discharge outlet. The trigger is urged toward the closed position by spring action exerted against the resilient strap, and must be held against said spring action by finger 3,197,142 Patented July 27, 1965 pressure against the trigger to hold it up in open position. As soon as the finger pressure is released from the trigger, the valve is moved to close the bottom of the feed tube and the cut-off gate is moved pivotally upwardly into its outlet closing position by spring action. In this manner release of the trigger causes an instantaneous stoppage of the flow of paint.

The valve is mounted on one end of a link that has its other end secured to a rod rotatably mounted in a recess in the housing. A pin projecting radially from the rotatably mounted rod engages a cam projecting from a cap rotatably mounted on the housing. The cap is rotated manually to set the cam in any desired position. The position in which the cam is set determines the rate at which the paint may flow into the feed tube because it determines the amplitude of the'pivotal movement of the link to which the valve is secured, and-thereby controls the size of the opening to the feed tube.

An over travel connection or lost motion connection between the trigger strap and the gate permits the gate to fully open irrespective of the flow rate control setting of the cam and the limited movement of the valve.

The structure by means of which the above-mentioned and other'advantages and features of the invention are attained is described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, showing a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a spray gun embodying the invention, with the cut-off gate in outlet closing position;

. FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, with the cut-oil gate 1n open position;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, taken 33 of FIG. 1; a FIG. 4 is a vertical sectional view, taken along the line 44.of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view, taken along the line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view, taken along the line 6-6 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing the pivotal support for the cut-off gate;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the means for moving the valve at the bottom of the feed tube;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view, taken along the line 99 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view, taken along the line 10--10 of FIG. 3.

The spray gun forming the illustrative embodiments of the invention shown in the drawings includes an upper housing 2 having a hollow handle 3 integral therewith, an intermediate housing 4, and a receptacle or container 5 for holding a supply of paint to be sprayed. The interalong the line 'mediate housing is secured to the upper housing by a plurality of screws 6. The receptacle 5 is generally cylindrical or can shaped and is removably threaded as indicated at 7 onto a skirt 8 spaced inwardly from the outer wall of housing 4. The upper housing contains a motor for rotating a screw conveyor and an attenuator 9. The screw conveyor extends vertically into a feed tube 10 depending into receptacle. and having an open bottom. The upper end of feed tube is supported by the hub 11 of a spider 12 extending across the lower end portion of intermediate housing 4. A switch on the handle 3 is connected to the motor and to a current source, the latter connection being'made by a power cord fragmentally shown at 13.

The attenuator is in the form of an inverted cone fixed to the drive shaft of the motor and has a fiat upper edge 14 spaced closely toa disk-shaped cover plate 15 that is also fixed to the drive shaft. The cover plate 15 cooperates with the upper end of the inverted cone to provide a continuous opening 16 in lateral registration with a discharge outlet 17 formed in the cylindrical wall of intermediate housing 4. i The upper edge of the discharge outlet is formed by an inclined surface 18 on the portion of the lower edge of the upper housing 2 that is adjacent the opening in the housing 4. The effective length of the dischargeoutlet is adjusted by means of a skirt 19 that is rotatably mounted adjacent to the opening 16 and movable by alever to form a closure for a portion of opening 16.

opening 16 that does not pass through discharge outlet 17 flows through one of the apertures 20 to the receptacle 5. An arcuate partition 21 projects upwardlyfrom the bottom ofhousing 4 rearwardly of the discharge outlet to form a trough to facilitate the flow of paint'th at falls short of the dischargeo'utlet when it is discharged through opening16. The opposite ends of partition 21 are spaced from an upright flange 22, and from a sleeve 23, in which one of the screws 6 is threaded, to provide passageways 24 and 25 for the how of paint around the ends of the partition. The. paint then flows across the bottom'of the housing 4 and through the apertures 20.

a The screw conveyor is rotated inja direction to lift the paint orother liquid flowing into the bottom of the feed tube. The valve is in the form of a plate 26 that is pivotally mounted to swing across the lower end of the feed tube 10. Means, hereinafter described, is provided to limit the amplitude of the valve opening.

7 The valve plate ,26 is fixed to the lower end of a :link or rod 27, as indicatedat 28. ;The upper end of link 27 is fixed to arod 29 which is 'journaledin a cylindrical recess or base 30 in the intermediate housing 4. The valve 26 is curved to conform -to the arc of a circle having a radius equal .to the distance from the axis of rod .29 to valve '26. The Ilowered ge of 'feed tube 10 is' similarly curved to provide a close fit between the valve 26 and ,the lower endof the feed tube. The valve 26 is provided with an opening of triangular shape with its the lower end of the feed tube 10,.

The valve 26 is moved in the opposite direction to an open position by a flexible, preferably spring steel, flat strap connected thereto having an end secured to a lug 36 projecting upwardly from .a trigger lever 37. The

trigger lever 37 is mounted in the hollow handle 3 and has one end pivoted at 38 in the handle with the finger engaging portion 39 of the trigger lever projecting outwardly through an opening 40 in the handle 3. The handle is arranged so that when the spray gun is held in :the hand of the operator the operators forefinger will .normally engage the portion 39- of the trigger lever. The bottom 41 of upper housing 2 has a slot '42 through which the fiat strap 35 extends. The slot 42 projecting through the slot.

serves as a guide to hold the lower portion of the strap in proper position. The strap has an aperture 43 adapted to fit over a button 44 on one end of a pin 45 having its other end engaging the link 27. The pin 45 is rigidly secured to link 27 and has a grooved neck 46 adjacent to the button 44 to prevent accidental displacement of the strap 35 from the end of the pin 45.

As the trigger member 39 is pressed inwardly toward the handle 3, the strap 35 is 'pulled upwardly through the slot 42, thus pulling the button end of the pin 45 upwardly, as indicated in FIG. 6. Since the button end of the pin is fixed to the aperture 43 in the strap 35 and the opposite end of the pin is fixed to the link 27, the upward movement of the strap pulls the link toward the right, as viewed in FIG. 6. This movement of the link 27 moves the valve 26 so as to move the apex of the valve opening toward the feed tube 10. After the apex of opening moves into registration with the open lower end of the feed tube 10, continued movement in the same direction progressively increases the cross-sectional area of the opening through which paint can 110 into the lower end of the feed tube.

- The pivotal movement of link 27'is limited by a pin 47 that projects radially from the rod 29. As the link 27 moves pivotally about the axis of the rod 29 the valve 26 .is swungback and forth across the open lower end of the feed tube. A cap 48 rotatably mounted on housing 4 by means of a screw 49 fits over a portion of rod 29 that projects through the outer wall of housing 4. The cap 48 has a peripheral skirt 50 and an inner hub 51 spaced from said skirt; A rotary cam 52 is fitted over hub 51 and is rigidly secured thereto so that the cam rotates with the cap.

The pin 47 projects radially from the portion of rod 29 that projects through the wall of housing 4, and is located between the skirt 50 and the cam surface of cam 52. Pin 47 is preferably parallel to link 27 and moves about the same axis. The distance between the cam surface of cam 52 and the inner surface of skirt' 50 restricts the pivotal movement of pin 47 and thereby limits the movement of link 27 and valve 26. 'The cap 48 may be rotated to any desired position and friction held in such position until readjusted. As the'trigger A cut-off gate 53 is pivotally secured within the intermediate housing 4 on two separate, aligned pins 54, as shown in detail in FIG. 7. Each pin is mounted between fingers 55 extending from arms 56 that project inwardly from the wall surface of the housing 4. Lugs 57 projecting outwardly from the gate 53 are each apertured to receiveone of the pins 54. The pivotal connections for the cnt-ofi gate are protected against the pain by the skirt 19.

The gate 53 is provided with a transverse depression 58 having a width slightly greater than the width of strap 35 which is aligned therewith. The strap has a longitudinal elongated slot 59, and the gate has a study 60 The stud 60 is located centrally of thedepression 58. The pins 54 are both positioned near depression 58 so that the weight of the gate 53 is so distributed that the portion of the gate adjacent the discharge outlet is normally down with its bottom edge When the trigger 37 is pressed to the right, as viewed in FIG. 6, the strap 35 moves upwardly. This moves the upper end of the slot 59 from its engagement with the pin 60, and the front of gate 47 drops down to the dotted line positions of FIG. 6, thereby opening the discharge outlet 17 so that the paint may flow through the outlet. As soon as the finger pressure is released from the trigger the strap moves downwardly and forces the cut-off gate 53 to its outlet closing position.

When the gate is opened upon depression of the trigger, the travel of the strap may be substantially restricted by the cam setting for the valve. So that this will not affect the opening of the gate, the system is arranged so that the gate will be fully open within strap travel limitations which would permit only slight opening of the valve. Since the slot 59 in the strap is elongated, overtravel or lost motion of the strap with respect to the gate is permitted when greater valve opening is eifected.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

We claim:

1. A spraying mechanism comprising a housing, a discharge outlet in said housing, means for spraying liquids through said outlet, a gate mounted in said housing, said gate being angularly rotatable with respect to a horizontal plane between an outlet closing position and an open position, pivot means mounting said gate to said housing along a line in a substantially horizontal plane off the center of gravity of said housing to permit angular rotation of said gate, said pivot means being constructed and arranged to permit gravity movement of said gate to said open position, spring means normally holding said gate in outlet closing position and a lever mounted to said housing independent of said pivot means for releasing said gate from the spring action of said spring means whereby said gate may move freely into its open position.

2. A spraying mechanism comprising a housing, a handle projecting from said housing, a discharge outlet in said housing, means for spraying liquids through said outlet, a gate angularly rotatable with respect to a horizontal plane passing through an axis adjacent one edge of said gate between an outlet closing position and an open position, pivot means mounting said gate to said housing on said axis, said pivot means being constructed and arranged to permit gravity movement of said gate to said open position, spring means normally holding said gate in outlet closing position, a lever pivotally mounted in said handle independent of said pivot means for releasing said gate from the spring action of said spring means, whereby said gate moves into open position by gravity.

3. A spraying mechanism comprising a housing, a discharge outlet in said housing, means for spraying liquids through said outlet, a gate angularly rotatable with respect to a horizontal plane between an outlet closing position and an open position, pivot means mounting said gate to said housing along a line in a substantially horizontal plane off the center of gravity of said housing to permit angular rotation of said housing, said pivot means being constructed and arranged to permit gravity movement of said gate to said open position, spring means normally holding said gate in outlet closing position, a strap engaging said gate and contacted by said spring means, and a lever mounted to said housing and operable by finger pressure to move said strap against the action of said spring means, thereby releasing said gate from the influence of said spring means, said gate being pivoted in such a manner as to fall open by gravity when released from the influence of said spring means.

4. A spraying mechanism comprising a housing, a discharge outlet in said housing, means for spraying liquids through said outlet, a gate mounted in said housing, said gate being angularly rotatable with respect to a horizontal plane between an outlet closing position and an open position, means for feeding liquid to said spraying means, a valve for controlling said feed means, spring means normally holding said gate in outlet closing position and said valve in closed position, and a lever operable against the action of said spring means to move said valve to open position and to release said gate from said holding action, whereby said gate moves into open position by gravity when said valve is opened.

5. A spraying mechanism comprising a housing, a discharge outlet in said housing, means for spraying liquids through said outlet, a gate mounted in said housing, said gate being movable between an outlet closing position and an open position, means for feeding liquid to said spraying means, a valvefor controlling said feed means, a strap interconnecting said valve and said gate, spring means normally holding said valve in closed position and exerting force against said strap to hold said gate in outlet closing position, a lever for moving said strap to open said valve and to release said gate from the action of said spring means, whereby said gate moves into open position by gravity, and cam means for limiting the opening movement of said valve.

6. A spraying mechanism comprising a housing, a discharge outlet in said housing, means for spraying liquids through said outlet, a gate mounted in said housing, said gate being movable between an outlet closing position and an open position, means for feeding liquid to said spraying means, a valve for controlling said feed means, a strap interconnecting said valve and said gate, spring means normally holding said valve in closed position and exerting force against said strap to hold said gate in outlet closing position, a lever for moving said strap to open said valve and to release said gate from the action of said spring means, whereby said gate moves into open position by gravity, a pin mounted for movement with movement of said valve, and a rotary cam engageable with said pin to limit the opening movement of said valve.

7. In a spraying mechanism, a rotatably mounted attenuator, a housing enclosing said attenuator, said houslng having a discharge outlet, said attenuator being adapted to spray liquid through said discharge outlet, a gate extending between said discharge outlet and said attenuator, said gate being pivotally mounted in said housing about a pivotal axis in proximity to one edge of said gate, and a trigger mechanism for operating said gate, said trigger mechanism including a lever and a strap, said strap having one end secured to said lever and an elongated slot intermediate its length, spring means urgmg sa1d strap toward its lowermost position, and a pin fixed to said gate, said pin projecting through said slot in aplane perpendicular to the pivotal axis of said gate, said pin being engaged by the upper end of said slot when said strap is in its lowermost position, whereby said gate is normally held in its outlet closing position by said spring means and is moved into open position by gravity when said trigger lever is actuated to raise said strap and thereby move the upper end of said slot out of engagement with said pin.

8. A spray mechanism comprising a housing, a discharge outlet in said housing, means for spraying liquids through said outlet, a feed tube for carrying liquids to said means, said feed tube having an open inlet, a rod rotatably mounted in said housing, a valve juxtaposed against said inlet, a link connecting said valve to said rod whereby said rod may be moved pivotally about the axis of said rod to open and close the inlet of said feed tube,

a pin projecting radially from said rod, a cap rotatably mounted on said housing adjacent said pin, and a cam eX- tending from said cap, said cam being engageable with said pin to limit the opening movement of said valve;

9. A spray mechanism comprising a housing, a discharge outlet in said housing, a gate normally closing said outlet, means for spraying liquids through said outlet, a feed tube for carrying liquids to said means, said feed tube having an open inlet, a rod rotatably mounted in said housing, a valve juxtaposed against said inlet, a link connecting said valve to said rod whereby said rod may be moved pivotally about the axis of said rod, a strap operatively connected to said gate and said link, means for moving said strap to simultaneously move said gate and said valve to open positions, a pin projecting radially from said rod, a cap rotatably mounted on said housing adjacent said pin, and a cam mounted on said cap, said carn being engageahle with said pin to limit the opening movement of said valve.

References Cited by the Examiner UNIT EDjSTATES PATENTS Kus 251300 10 EVERETT W. KIRBY, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT A. OLEARY, LOUIS J. DEMBO,

Examiners. 

1. A SPRAYING MECHANISM COMPRISING A HOUSING, A DISCHARGE OUTLET IN SAID HOUSING, MEANS FOR SPRAYING LIQUIDS THROUGH SAID OUTLET, A GATE MOUNTED IN SAID HOUSING, SAID GATE BEING ANGULARLY ROTATABLE WITH RESPECT TO A HORIZONTAL PLANE BETWEEN AN OUTLET CLOSING POSITION AND AN OPEN POSITION, PIVOT MEANS MOUNTING SAID GATE TO SAID HOUSING ALONG A LING IN A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLANE OFF THE CENTER OF GRAVITY OF SAID HOUSING TO PERMIT ANGULAR ROTATION OF SAID GATE, SAID PIVOT MEANS BEING CONSTRUCTED AND ARRANGED TO PERMIT GRAVITY MOVEMENT OF SAID GATE TO SAID OPEN POSITION, SPRING MEANS NORMALLY HOLDING SAID GATE IN OUTLET CLOSING POSITION AND A LEVER MOUNTED TO SAID HOUSING INDEPENDENT OF SAID PIVOT MEANS FOR RELEASING SAID GATE FROM THE SPRING ACTION OF SAID SPRING MEANS WHEREBY SAID GATE MAY MOVE FREELY INTO ITS OPEN POSITION. 